Something amazing and almost unheard of happened here this weekend:
It rained.
In July. With lightning and thunder and big raindrops, and more than a tenth of an inch of precipitation (yup, we measure rain in super small increments here).
It was incredible.
Somewhere down south a hurricane formed, and its dark gray clouds filled with the good stuff made their way all the way up here to central California.
They dumped rain on the parched, dusty dirt that hasn’t been properly watered in years.
I know, I know – one random rainstorm in the middle of the summer hardly brings an end to this drought we are living with. But at least it whet my palate enough to feel a little refreshed.
I might be able to live without another drop falling from the sky until winter (a season when it’s much more common to have heavy rains in the area, which I am kind of absurdly looking forward to).
On the theme of enjoying the pleasures of summer, I have a delicious recipe to share with you. But first, I am going to shift gears a bit to talk about the ceramic bowl pictured below.
It is my most favorite new household item, and it came to me recently from a good friend. She gave it to us as a belated wedding present, and it was so worth the wait.
She threw this bowl by hand in a pottery class, and glazed and fired it in a way that made these beautiful, irregular colors. I’ve been the lucky recipient of a few of her pieces, but this one is my favorite by far.
It will be a constant companion of mine in the kitchen, whether it is holding fruit or posing for a photo (it does a really good job, without any complaints).
I keep telling my friend that she needs to start an Etsy shop to sell her pieces, because they’re so fantastic! This bowl did a particularly excellent job of holding the scone dough as I worked it together.
So, back to the recipe: I bought far too many organic blueberries at Costco last weekend, and after eating them on yogurt, using them in smoothies, and shoveling handfuls at a time into my mouth, I still needed to find a way to make use of the rest of them before they went bad.
Enter: these vegan blueberry scones.
This is the perfect breakfast scone. It’s pretty light on the sugar, and chewy enough to be supremely satisfying. As you can see in the closeup picture below, they have a nice, flaky texture that really shines after baking.
I cut these into rounds so that I could use my new biscuit cutters that we also received as a gift for our wedding (thanks, Al!). But these would be great cut into a traditional triangle shape, too (like these).
Keep in mind: Sometimes they get a little wonky when they bake. But that’s okay!
I think, I think, that if I can still eat handfuls of fresh blueberries every day, and delicious baked goods like these, then I should be able to survive until it rains again. Hopefully.
Vegan Blueberry Scones
- Author: Raquel Smith
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 15 scones 1x
Description
These vegan blueberry scones are the perfect way to enjoy fresh blueberries. Perfect for breakfast or a mid-morning snack.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup cold vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- 3 Tbsp water
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar, plus extra for sprinkling*
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Wash the blueberries under cool, running water in a colander. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the flax seed and water to make a flax egg. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, measure out the milk, then add the apple cider vinegar and the brown sugar. Stir to combine. Add the flax egg and stir well.
- Cut the margarine into 1/2-inch chunks, then add to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to quickly work the margarine into the flour; it will have a sandy texture with some pea-sized bits.
- Add the liquid to the flour mixture all at once, then use a large spoon (or better yet, a danish dough whisk) to bring it together to form a dough. Fold in the blueberries.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface (a marble slab works nicely here, to keep the dough cool) and gently knead for about 1 minute.
- Pat the dough into a slab 1 inch thick, and use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut into rounds, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps and repeat until all the dough is used up. Sprinkle each round with a bit of brown sugar.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, until golden on top. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. These are best enjoyed warm.
Notes
If you prefer a sweeter scone, add another tablespoon of packed brown sugar to the batter.
To reheat the next day, place in a toaster oven on bake mode for 5 minutes, or until warm through.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Scones
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Baked Goods, Breakfast
Keywords: blueberry, scone, summer, vegan
Got the baking bug? Visit our full archive of breakfast and brunch recipes here. But first, more scones:
- Blueberry Maple Einkorn Flour
- Cranberry Chocolate
- Grapefruit Honey
What’s your favorite way to feature fresh, seasonal berries in your baked goods? Maybe you’ll switch it with some blackberries! Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to give the recipe a five-star rating if you loved it!
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Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on July 20th, 2015. Last updated: July 24, 2023 at 19:27 pm.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
